General Notes

EDUC sources identify her as "of Lorraine" or "of Metz"-Subject: Re: FULK THE BLACKFrom:  BJ <rground@TPGI.COM.AU>Date:Sun, 8 Dec 1996 13:35:37 +1100HelHello Gordon,Fulk Nerra is myancestor, too, &
probably ancestor to at least tensofthousands?!  Did you read anything about his strange wife,Melusine?  She was believedto be the daughter of Lucicifer! Fulkthe Black came back from his travels
with the beautifulMelusine.  They had four childrren.  Melusine rarely attendedMass, & always left before the equivalent of thecommunion/sacrament (I'm not RC).  Fulk was pressured intomaking her
stay & had four knights hold her in her place oneday.  She flew(!) out the church window, taking two of theirchildren with her!  If you have read a any more about Melusine,& where she came from or
went to,I'd love to hear from you.BJ.Subject:  Re: FULK THE BLACKFrom:  Richard Borthwick<rgbor@CYLLENE.UWA.EDU.AU>Date:  Sun, 8 Dec 1996 12:17:7:50+0800 The story is recounted in *The Plantagenet
Chronicles*(Goldaming UK, 1995) edited by ElElizabeth Hallam, p.22. Thesource of the story is Gerald of Wales. The daughter of Satan isnot named in Hallam's work. Melusine was reputed by legend to
bea familiar of the Lusignan.======================================Subject: Re: ELEANOR OF AQUITAINEFrom: Gordon Fisher <gfisher@SHENTEL.NET>Date:  Thu, 3 Apr 1997 18:55:53 -0500At 02:08 PM 4/3/97
-0500, you (Todd Farmerie) wrote:[snip, snip]>>>>         38      Foulques III "Nerra" of Anjou Count. Borncirca>> 970/971. Died 21 Jun 1040 in Metz, France. Count of Anjou>> .>>         39    
Hildegarde of Lotharingia. Born circa 964/974in>> France. Died 1 Apr 1046 in Jerusalem, Holy Land.>>>I have seen several sources identify her as "of Lorraine" or"of Metz">but none provide a
parentage.  Do you have anything for this?If not,>then how solid is the toponym?>>taf>>Bernard Bachrach, in his book *Fulk Nerra*, 1993, has on p 100:"Fulk's vigorous activities following his return
from the HolyLand werehighlighted by his marriage to Hildegarde, an *illusta puella*from Lorrainewho was descended from royalty."To this, he has a footnote on p 318:  "*Cartul. du Ronceray*,no.
173,provides the documentary evidence for Hildegarde's royal birth.Theveracity of this text is unchallenged:  e.g., Halphen, *Lecomte' d'Anjou*,11, n. 1.  Thus far, however, no one has been able to
trace herimmediatefamily with any certitude. See the literature cited by Bachrach,"Origins ofCountess Gerberga," 14-15, n. 11."The last part is evidently a reference to his article cited
inhisbibliography, "Some Observations on the Origins of CountessGerberga of theAngevins: An Essay in the Application of the Tellenbach-WernerProsopographyical Method.", *Medieval Prosopography 7*,
no. 2(1986): 1-23.Bachrach says on p 100:  "King Robert's diplomatic exchangeswith theGermans, of which the Meuse meeting is the best documented, arelikely tohave prompted his interest in
Hildegarde.  More to the point,Fulk needed awife who could provide a male heir and his choice of a womanfrom aprominent family in Lorraine might perhaps be seen to have had adiplomaticand strategic
purpose as well, which could be threatened byFulk's in-lawsif the count of Blois chose to mount military operation againstthe Angevincount in the west."In the previous paragraph, Bachrach seems to
be assuming withoutquestionthat Hildegarde is from Lorraine, although as he says in thefootnote, her"immediate family" hasn't been determined (as of 1993, to thebest ofBachrach's knowledge).Gordon
Fisher     gfisher@shentel.net
RELG @N1126@
DATE 11 MAY 1997